Francis Lopez was frustrated after University of the Philippines’ 89-99 defeat at the hands of defending champions Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday.
It was the first time the Fighting Maroons lost this season.
They rode a 6-0 start to their campaign, only to run out of steam against the Blue Eagles in overtime.
“Rough game,” said Lopez, a product of Ateneo High School.
“Frustration.”
Lopez himself had a disappointing performance in his first clash against his former school in the UAAP. He only produced five points, two rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in 19:05 minutes. He was also a minus-4 during his time on the court.
Before this game, he averaged 9.17 points, 6.67 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 0.67 blocks. To make matters worse, he was helped to the bench with a minute to go in added time because of an injury.
“Not surprised,” said the 20-year-old forward.
“I just had a bad game. The next game, we’re looking forward to that one,” the former Gilas pool member continued.
“I’ll be able to practice the next day. I don’t care. Whatever it takes man, we’ll bounce back.”
Despite the loss, UP still ended the first round on top with a 6-1 record. There is no word as of this writing who the Fighting Maroons will next face.
However, another clash against the Blue Eagles is tentatively on the horizon for them. After being on the losing side, Lopez is determined to get the win whoever UP will face next.
“We will be more prepared.
“We’re just really thinking about the next game. This is over. We gotta learn from this loss that we had. That’s probably it,” he said.
